Don't Cry
by geeklover89
Summary: When Kaitou Kid finally snaps and kidnaps Conan to prove a point what will the consequences be? And how will Conan react when the Kid finally comes clean about something he had been holding onto for a long time.
1. My Emerald

Kaito watched from his spot on the balcony as the teen-turned-child nursed an especially large bump on his head. Ran was currently scolding her father while simultaneously trying to make sure Conan was alright. The thief narrowed his eyes an abject dislike as the older "detective" simply made a comment about how kids shouldn't interfere in adult business and turned away.

That was the finally straw for the phantom thief as he pushed himself away from the railing. He had been watching Tantei-kun for a while now, always making sure that whatever his favorite little critic got into he would get out of it in, if not the same, then almost the same condition as when he started. And after nearly three months of being the boy's secret guardian he would be damned if he would sit by and let this man hurt _his_ Tantei-kun in front of him.

Kaito had seen enough of the boys 'extracurricular activities' to know the kind of danger the mini detective put himself through almost on a weekly basis. Yet he was the only one who knew excluding that detective from Osaka. Kaito could only imagine how frustrating it was for Conan –or Kudo Shinichi- to have more intelligence than half the people around him and yet be forced to lie about who he was and go off by himself to try and put a stop to a criminal organization so deeply rooted in the city. Often Kaito wondered just what kept the boy sane.

That was the reason for the heist today. It was during his last heist, when that murder had taken place, when he had decided what his next target would be. Shinichi had been out of sorts to say the least and Kaito had quickly become worried about the little critic.

Well who wouldn't be concerned when one of the world's greatest minds didn't notice and internationally wanted thief standing next to him for ten straight minutes.

He hadn't even seemed interested when the murder took place; he had simply stayed still and watched, not even saying anything as the cops and Mouri-san had worked. After almost an hour of watching Conan suddenly moved sluggishly toward the second rate detective, grabbed a hold of his pant leg and tugged gently.

"Oji-san," Conan's voice was so quiet that it could barely be heard. Had it not been for the tug on his pants Mouri probably wouldn't have looked down at all.

"Conan!" he spat angrily when he saw who it was, "Haven't I told you not to interrupt me while I'm working?"

Conan actually cringed, "But…"

"No buts now. Get. Out. Of. Here." With that the detective slammed his fist into Conan's head.

And the boy dropped.

Gripping his head as though it was about to split in two, he curled up into the fetal position and moaned in pain before going completely still.

Everything had happened rather quickly after that, but Kaito would never forget how he felt when he saw Shinichi's mother pick up her son's limp body and rush out of the banquet hall. It was forever seared into his heart.

As it should have been for Mouri. Yet here he was again laying a fist on the child detevtive again.

_Well,_ Kaito thought with a smirk, _we'll just see about that won't we._

The lights faded as a spotlight illuminated the main attraction of the museum. A beautiful green emerald shone from behind its glass case and for a second Kaito felt the urge to feel its heavy weight in his pocket. But he was here to steal another emerald tonight. A magnificent treasure that the world had forgot about.

With a running leap the thief jumped gracefully over the balcony and landed softly on the carpet below. That was the easy part. He picked his way silently through the crowd not worrying about getting caught since he wasn't in full Kid gear yet, but not wanting to alert his little detective either. Looking around quickly as he approached the spot where the detective was standing ideally with his hands in his pockets, Kaito slipped into the hallway that contained the bathroom and waited.

Earlier that day, after making sure the bathrooms had been conveniently out of order, he had set up the things for his escape. Now he just had to wait. He had seen the way Tantei-kun's eyes had narrowed at him as he slipped down the hallway and, knowing the detective, would probably be along in a minute to check out this man's strange behavior.

Sure enough, after waiting only five minutes, the sound of little footsteps tapping against the tile floated down the hall. Kaito waited until he was sure the detective would see him before ducking into the bath room and hiding behind the door. The footsteps became slightly more rapid as they drew closer until they stopped in front of the bathroom, there was a slight pause and then the door opened. Conan stepped cautiously into the bathroom and let the door close behind him.

That's when Kaito struck.

Springing from his hiding place Kaito wrapped an arm around the small torso and clamped a cloth over the young mouth with the other. A muffled gasp escaped the boy's lips as he tried to pull away from the Kid. Tisking at the struggling child Kaito picked him up and brought him to the last stall.

"Now now Tantei-kun," he said sweetly as he kneeled down in front of the last door and pinned the boy to the floor with his knee tying the gag around the boy's mouth in the process, "you could get hurt if you keep that up." Still pinning the boy to the ground Kaito reached under the stall and pulled out a burlap sack from which he pulled a coil of rope. With the rope he quickly tied the boy's arms and legs so that he couldn't struggle. He then picked up the bound child and placed him lovingly in the sack. The last thing he saw before he tied the top was a pair of glaring ice blue eyes.

Pulling the knot tight Kaito quickly slug the bag over his shoulder, exited the bathroom and slipped through the emergency exit to the left. Stepping over the unconscious guard, the thief made his was down to his waiting motorcycle and loaded his bundle into the side car covering it with and extra blanket to further muffle any sounds the not-child was making.

"Fear not my little Kudo," he purred at the bag using the detective's real name for the first time, "I just need to go make a quick speech and I'll be back." The bag rustled as the captive inside struggled angrily. Kaito smiled, changed into his white suit and toward the museum. He needed to get this over with quickly so he could get Tantei-kun out of his make shift prison so that he didn't accidently suffocate. Jumping onto the fire escape this time Kaito quickly made his way to the roof to slip back into the building. Returning once again to his perch on the balcony, Kid rushed over to place a bomb on the railing directly opposite of where he would show and returned to his spot just over the jewel case.

Setting off the smoke bomb the thief waited until all the heads in the roomed turned to face the cloud of pink before dropping cat-like to the ground.

"You know Nakamori," Everyone's head snapped back around, "If you truly wish to catch me one day I suggest you keep your eyes forward."

Nakamori growled angrily, "Kid," venom dripped from his words, "You're not getting away this time, and you're defiantly NOT taking that emerald."

Kid smiled wider at that, "What do you mean my dear Nakamori, the emerald is already within my position."

"WHAT!"

"Your mistake was assuming that this," he gestured behind him with his thumb, "was the emerald I was after."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kid's smile grew wider and wagged his finger at the inspector, "I thought you could figure it out yourselves, isn't that why you threw such a precious stone away?"

Whatever Nakamori had been going to say seemed to vanish from his mind as he gave Kid a puzzled look.

Kid sighed irritably and the smile slipped from his face, "Since you are probably wondering why I'm still here if I have the gem, I'll tell you." Kid's words were hard and devoid of any of his normal playfulness. He wanted to make sure he had their full attention. "I'd like to extend a challenge to Mouri-san." He paused to make sure the older detective was looking at him.

"What kind of challenge?" he asked suspiciously.

"If you can find were I have hidden the emerald I will return it to you and turn myself in."

Kid ignored the sudden uproar.

"If, as I don't doubt, you cannot, then you will renounce you're title of 'world's greatest detective'. If you lose and don't renounce your title or use it anymore in the future then you will never see the emerald again." The older detective's eyes went wide. Then he smiled.

"No problem phantom thief," he laughed out, "I'll find the emerald and have you put in jail and when I do I'll make sure that everyone knows that it was World's Greatest Detective Mouri Kogorou that caught you."

Kid smiled again, "Since you have accepted my challenge let me tell you the rules."

"Rules?"

"Of course, after all, what is a game without rules? First and foremost, you are not to be helped by anyone. Not even Ran-chan"

A bit of the arrogance faded from the older detective's eyes.

"Second, you will have three days to come up with the answer, and third, once you have discovered the location you are to post it in the Tokyo Time so that the world can see if Mouri Kogorou is really as great as he says he is."

Kogorou was defiantly looking pale now.

"If you do not follow these rules then not only will you never see the emerald again, but I will personally make sure that the world knows just how incompetent you are."

A heavy silence descended on the room and Kaito used that to his advantage, setting off another smoke bomb as he changed his clothes and disappeared into the crowd.

This time Kuroba Kaito was able to walk out the front door undisturbed and make his way back to his bike. Getting on he did a quick check to make sure that Tantei-kun was still breathing before he gunned the engine and took off.

Fifteen minutes later Kaito arrived home and immediately went to his room, his bag slung over his back. Untying the top Kaito gently lifted an extremely disgruntled Conan out of the bag and laid him, still bound, on the bed. Probing fingers gently sifted through the boy's hair until they came to a rather large bump.

The growl that emitted from him caused the previously glaring eyes of the boy on the bed to widen in shock.

"Jackass," He mumbled to himself, "and he calls himself a great detective for hitting a child."

Conan blushed slightly at being referred to as a child, but his anger had been replaced with complete confusion. Kaito noticed and smiled.

"Don't worry it's nothing to worry about." Conan narrowed his eyes. Kid laughed bring his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay okay, I'm sure you're wondering what you are doing here so I'm going to remove the gag, but you have to promise not to try and call for help, okay?"

He watched as Conan pondered this for a minute before nodding. Kaito leaned over and gently pulled the piece of cloth off the detective's mouth. True to his word Conan stayed quiet.

"I meant what I said about you being a neglected emerald," the thief said turning away from the little critic, "I'm sure you have noticed by now, but I have been following you."

"Why?" Conan's voice wasn't accusing, but full of curiosity.

"It happened after my last heist, when you collapsed after Mouri hit you."

"What happened?"

"It felt as though my world was about to collapse. Seeing you lying there limp I…I thought….I thought that you had…." Kaito stopped and swallowed thickly, "I couldn't go through that again, not after Aoko, so I decided to follow you. That is when I came to realize just how often you put your life in danger and how little you were given in return."

"Kid…"

Kaito continued, ignoring the little detective, "I had thought about giving that Mouri idiot a piece of my mind for a while and I knew that he wouldn't be able to say no to my challenge if his ward was in danger, at the very least Ran-chan would be hounding him and looking for you herself. But to tell you the truth I didn't know if I could go through with it. I was afraid that either myself or Nakamori would accidently hurt you, not to mention the fact that you could unmask me when I let you go."

He could feel blue eyes watching him intently, urging him to continue.

Kaito suddenly glared at the floor, "My mind was made up however when he hit you today." His fists clenched in the sheets, "I couldn't believe it. He dared to lay a hand on you again after what happened last time? It was unforgivable!"

Conan shifted at Kaito's side, shocked by the thief's sudden display of emotion. Taking a deep breath to calm himself the thief continued softer this time, "That was the reason I kidnapped you and issued Mouri the challenge that if he could find out where I was hiding you then I would turn myself in."

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you out of your mind?" Conan exploded, "Even if you set the challenge for him do you really think that the entire Japanese police force won't be looking for you? Why would you do such stupid thing?"

"Because I love you."

The statement was barely above a whisper but he could tell that Shinichi had heard it as a look of pure shock came over his face. Kaito quickly added, "Not like that. I only mean that you have become very close to me, almost like you were a long lost twin. My heists became much more important after I met you. Like you were there to watch over me and I you. If anything were to happen to you, well, I can honestly say I don't know what I would do. When you collapsed I thought I had failed to protect someone else I cared about. Someone whose life was worth more than all the jewels and precious stones in the world."

Suddenly Kaito scooped Conan into his arms and buried his face in the boy's hair.

"Nothing can happen to you." He said adamantly, although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than Shinichi.

"It really affected you that much, when I passed out?" Kaito squeezed the tiny body by way of answer. Kaito could feel the little body relax slightly in his arms and they stayed that way for a while before the not-child began to squirm.

"I need to use the bathroom could you untie me?"

Kaito stiffened slightly at the request.

"I won't run away. I promise."

Kaito sat still for a moment before nodding into the boy's hair. Lifting his head up, Kaito quickly untied the ropes around Shinichi's arms and legs and placed the boy on the floor. Conan rubbed his slightly chaffed wrists before turning to the Kid with a questioning look. The thief gestured vaguely to the door down the hall and to the right. As he watched Conan walk down the hall Kaito was suddenly filled with a sense of dread and stupidity.

What had he been thinking? Kidnapping and bringing the detective here? Had he lost his mind? Not to mention the fact that he had shown his face to him. Curling up on his bed Kaito buried his face in his pillow, silent tears rolling down his face. Feelings that he had been hiding came back full force as he saw, once again, his little Tantei-kun fall to the floor, this time his face covered in the blood that seemed to be coming out of every part of the detective. He shivered as he heard the screams of Ran and Kudo's parents. He wanted to rush forward, to cradle Shinichi in his arms and tell his body that it would be alright.

But he couldn't seem to move.

Tears fell faster as the tiny body suddenly began to glow its limbs stretching out to their full size. The cries and screams rose in volume as the body slowly grew into the missing detective. Lifeless blue eyes stared at him accusingly, telling him it was his fault. This wouldn't have happened if he had been watching, if he had not issued that stupid challenge then he would not have been in jail and Kudo would still be alive.

Suddenly Kudo's body disappeared and was replaced by a young girl, no older then himself, with long brown hair.

A tiny hand brushed the thief's tears away. Blue eyes sprang open and looked in wonder at the little face staring back at him. It took him a moment longer then it should have to recognize the face without the overly large glasses.

"Don't look so surprised Kid," Conan tried to keep his voice light, but he could not hide the underlying concern, "I told you I would stay."

Before he could register the movement Kaito had wrapped his arms around the little body and pulled him down, pressing him into the face of his shirt.

Little arms wrapped around the thief as best they could as Kaito pulled the boy still closer to his body.

And for the first time since Aoko had died he did something he thought he would never do, especially in front of Tantei-kun.

He cried.


	2. Day 1

The first thing Conan noticed was a heartbeat.

It was slow and steady and right in his ear.

Blue eyes flung open as he sat up, or at least tried to. From his current position on the bed Kaitou Kid –he still didn't know his real name, though now he knew his face- was still holding him to his chest. Through the night, however, the thief seemed to shift his position so that he was now practically lying on top of the not child. A deep blush spread over Shinichi's cheeks as he suddenly became acutely aware of the position they were in.

"K-K-Kaitou!" He mentally cursed his voice for squeeking, "Kid get off of me!"

Tiny hands pressed against the sleeping thief's chest as he tried to push away. However this seemed to have the adverse effect as Kid pulled him closer still and buried his face in Conan's hair. Conan was turning desperate. What if somebody walked in on them? After all he _was_ a kidnap victim in a complete stranger's house.

_Well_ he thought sardonically _that and if I blush anymore I'll probably burn a hole right through Kid's shirt_

With one last ditch effort Conan flattened himself against his rival's chest and, using the small amount of space it formed, managed to slip out of the bone crushing grasp. Standing up and taking some much needed breaths, Conan carefully climbed over the thief's legs, hopped off the bed and made his way to the front door. Slipping off his shoes and placing them in the cubby to the left Conan then made his way to the bathroom taking care not to look around too much. Although he suspected that Kid would reveal his identity to him, if for nothing else then to keep an eye on the mini detective, he didn't want to take advantage of the situation by prying into his rival's life. He respected him too much for that.

It took a second to locate the facilities, after all it is quite a difficult task to try and find something without looking around, but he remembered the general location from last night. After relieving himself he made his way back to the bed room and watched the sleeping figure on the bed.

_What happened to you Kid?_

He studied the others back in contemplation. He had been wrong with his estimate of twenty-two years old. In fact, the boy before him looked no older then Shinichi himself had been. The fact that the thief looked exactly like himself didn't escape his notice either.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but finally the teenager on the bed stirred. At first it was just a slight moaning and fidgeting about that one would expect from someone just waking up, then there was a few second pause were he didn't make a sound or movement at all. Conan was just about to walk up to the bed to let Kid know that he was awake when suddenly the thief shot up and began to look around wildly. For a few minutes panic filled Kid's eyes as they darted back and forth across the room before landing on Conan.

Sighing in relief Kid slid off the bed and pulled the child into another hug before abruptly letting him go and standing up. A blush settled into his cheeks and he quickly looked to the side.

"So…I guess I'll make breakfast now…um…all we have to eat is cereal." He shrugged and continued to avoid the mini detective's eyes.

Deciding to save the Kid from any more embarrassment, while simultaneously trying to keep a blush from spreading across his own cheeks, he simply said, "That will be fine."

Kid nodded and led Shinichi out of the bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen. Pulling out two bowls and spoons, a box of cereal and the carton of milk the thief placed them in front of the not child and turned on the TV in the corner of the room. Conan filled his bowl and turned his attention to the television. Of course the top story was Kid's challenge to Detective Mouri, although it appeared that the detective still hadn't connected Shinichi's kidnapping to the challenge. He was going on about how he would find Kid and make his return the gem he stole.

A low growl came from the boy next to him.

Conan looked at the boy from the corner of his eye before returning his attention back to the TV. The report had changed to his own kidnapping. Ran's worried face filled the screen as she pleaded with the unknown kidnapper to return the child. A sigh escaped said child's mouth and the glare returned to his eyes as he turned to the thief. He bulked for a second as he saw the malevolent glint in the other's eyes.

"Kid?"

"Those idiots!" said boy spat angrily, "How can they be so blind and unable to connect two simple dots!"

"Kid…"

"The whole point has been lost on them entirely! How can they let such a bumbling blockhead become world renowned when the one they should truly be thanking is thrown in harm's way?"

"KID!"

Kid stopped his angry rambling and looked at his tiny companion.

Shinichi waited for a moment to make sure that he had the thief's full attention, his eyes had returned to the TV, but he could feel the questioning gaze. He swallowed before continuing softly, "You know it wasn't his fault right?" A look of incredulity crept over Kid face, but upon seeing Conan's set face, faded into curiosity.

"Then what happened?"

"I had a migraine." Shinichi didn't need to see Kid's face to know that he was startled, "It doesn't happen very often, but when I am stressed or upset I get them. They usually start out small and I can deal with them as soon as they come, but if, like on that day, I can't deal with them right away then they turn into migraines so painful they affect not only my thinking but my entire body as well leaving me weak and barely able to move."

As he was explaining Shinichi never took his eyes off the television. He felt totally vulnerable. Up to that point the only people who knew about his migraines were his parents. Now he had not only told his secret, but he had told it to none other the Kaitou Kid the international thief. He guessed this is how Kid felt knowing he was showing his rival his true face without the mask.

They lapsed once again into silence until Kid suddenly turned off the TV and turned to face Conan with a huge smile plastered on his face. A shiver immediately shot through the not child's spine. A smile like that could only mean trouble.

"Let's go somewhere."

Yup. Definitely trouble.

"Wha?" Conan deadpanned

"I said let's go somewhere." Kaitou repeated the smile fading a little from his face as though he had expected his tiny rival to be more excited about this, "I know a great place to eat and we could go to the amusement park afterward."

For a moment Shinichi stared at him as though he had lost his mind, "You do realize that I am a kidnap victim and that being seen with you will only cause trouble for both of us."

The smile returned to Kid's face as he leaned closer to the detective, "And you, my dear Tantei-kun, forget that I am a master of disguise." He playfully flicked the end of Conan's noise. Shinichi growled softly, but, upon seeing the look on Kid's face, felt his body deflate as he internally consented if only to keep himself from getting an aneurysm and possibly to keep the Kid from taking anything too far.

_Besides_ he thought_ this is his turf and he would probably just force me anyway_

Seeing that he was successful Kid's face lit up and he scooped the not child into his arms and dashed back to the bedroom to get ready.

"Awwww what a sweet child." Conan blushed scarlet as yet another group of women coddled over him. Whatever sadness or pity he had felt for the Kid- no Kaito – was gone and replaced by glares of embarrassment and anger. One of the women pinched his cheek and squealed happily, "She is sooooo cute! What's her name?"

Conan blushed redder and pulled himself behind Kaito's leg giving some serious thought as to whether or not he should bite it. Kaito simple smiled down at the woman.

"Izume Kimi-chan." Conan could tell from his face that he was holding in laughter, "She's a friend of the family, right Kimi?" the child simply glared at him before nodding slowly.

"Well she is just ADORIBLE!" Will you tell her mother I said so Kuroba-kun?" Kaito only nodded, now totally unable to speak due to holding in his laughter. The woman finally moved away and Kaito quickly pulled the child into an alleyway before doubling over.

Conan stood glaring at him.

"You know if I had my super sneakers I'd kick that grin right off your face!"

"Come on Tantei-kun," the thief choked out through gasps of air, "you need to relax a little and have a sense of humor. Besides this is proof that the disguise is working."

Shinichi scowled at the thief but he had to admit he was right. He looked down at himself and grimaced. Really though did he _have_ to be a girl? He was dressed in a dark purple dress with white lace around the hem. Lace also circled the wrists and the throat making him itchy. This was complemented by the white stockings and black dress shoes he had been forced into. He sighed again a brushed a strand of the blonde, pig tailed wig out of his face.

_I guess there really isn't anything I can do about it now that people have seen me._ He thought heatedly _At least I don't have to worry about the others seeing me like this._ He thought of the detective badge that Agasa was repairing and the two cell phones he had turned off and left a Kaito's house. Even if he wanted them too Shinichi knew that the others had no way of tracking him which, given the current situation, was probably not a bad thing.

As the thief finally started to regain some composure Conan took the time to look around. They had been making their way through Tokyo toward the bus stop and were just off the main path. Shinichi could see the stop from where they were so that if it came he could kick the stupid laughing maniac with the pretense of wanting to hurry if the bus came. Rubbing his eye he watched as a little girl and her mother walked by.

He smiled to himself.

She was bouncing up and down excitedly with a red balloon tied to her wrist thanking her mother over and over for the present. Her mother looked extremely haggard and almost annoyed at her child's behavior, but Shinichi could see the slightest hint of a smile.

Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from his eye.

"Don't rub them it will only make it worse." Standing up with Conan's hand still in his Kaito began solemnly walking to the bus stop.

Taken by the sudden change in his counterpart Conan could do nothing but follow.

An hour and a half later, after having eaten at a little hole in the wall place that really wasn't so bad, Conan found himself strapped into a roller coaster seat beside Kaito in the mystery section of Tropical Land. Not wanting to cause a scene Shinichi had reluctantly allowed the thief to drag him here.

Said thief was currently bouncing up and down in his seat with excitement.

He smiled widely when he saw the look on Conan's face, "Come on Tantei-kun, you need to loosen up a little, or would you prefer to be here with someone else?" this last part was said in an exact imitation of Ran voice.

The roller coaster started ascending.

Conan shot daggers at the boy beside him while the latter just laughed happily.

"Did it ever occur to you that this is the last place I ever saw Ran as a normal teenager?"

Kaito stopped laughing abruptly and stayed that way as the coaster reached the top of the incline. As the noise started going down Kaito whispered so quietly that Conan almost missed it, "Why do you think I brought you here?"

The coaster dropped.

Adrenalin rushed through Conan's veins as the ride did loop after loop and twist after twist, but his mind was focused on what Kid had said.

When the coaster had stopped Conan grabbed Kaito's arm and dragged him away from the crowd before turning to look at him and demanded, "What do you mean 'why do you think I brought you here'?"

A sad smile crossed Kid's face, "Shinichi," he said crouching down to the detective's level, "what is the first thing you think of when I say Tropical Land?"

A flash of memory filled the not child's mind. The murder case. The men in black. Being poisoned. "What do you think my first thought is?" he asked cautiously.

"Being shrunk." It wasn't a question.

Conan nodded hesitantly wondering where the thief was going with this.

"Not Ran-chan?" Shinichi stared at the other boy with widening eyes, "I mean from what I gather it was you long awaited date so really it should be the first thing that comes to mind, but it's not is it?"

Shinichi looked at the ground ashamed.

The thief continued, "I bet if I asked her she would tell me all about the great time you had, but then she would remember how you disappeared and that happy memory would be stained with sadness."

Shinichi swallowed, "What are you getting at?"

A hand grabbed Conan's chin and made the not child look at serious ice blue eyes, "You cannot be consumed by work forever or you will risk losing everything you care about. I know that the detective in you was intrigued and I know how hard it is to turn away from your instincts, but sometimes we need to do just that. Because of your recklessness you put not only yourself in danger, but all the people you care about as well and if they knew just how often you have come close to death since then they, like myself, would want to lock you up away from harm. Unfortunately we can't do that nor can we change who you are, all we can do is sit on the sidelines and how you come back safely if you come back at all."

The mini detective was speechless. Never before had he felt so ashamed and guilty about being a detective then he did right then. Kid was right, all the pain and sadness he had caused was his fault. He had put himself in a dangerous situation without knowing the facts and the consequences had been disastrous. He looked away from the thief, no longer able to look his rival in the eye.

The hand on his chin moved to his shoulder, "I did not say these things with the intention of blaming you Shinichi, I only want you to be more aware that to me and all the people around you that you are an irreplaceable treasure and that if something happened to you it would be the equivalent of having all of our hearts ripped out." Tugging the small shoulders gently Kaito waited until the detective was looking at him again, "So I want you to promise that you will try to be more careful. Promise if not for me then for Ran and everyone else."

Shinichi swallowed thickly and blinked rapidly before nodding.

"Say it. Look me in the eye and say it"

Forcing his eyes to me the thief's Conan could see that the mask had slipped completely off. Fear and worry clouded the normally shining eyes but there was also an underlying determination like that of a protective animal when her cub was in danger. It was a comfort to see, like a promise that no matter where he went or whatever kind of trouble he got into he would always have a phantom guardian to watch over him and those he loved. He felt the hands on his shoulders tighten.

A warmth spread into the detective's stomach and, for the first time, he did something decidedly un-Kudo-like. A moved forward and wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck and whispered in his ear.

"I promise."

A breath escaped the thief as he happily returned the hug before scooping the not child up and placing him on his shoulders and running off in the direction of another coaster.

"Ahhh Kaito p-put me down."

"Nope, you may be a great detective but that doesn't mean you're invincible, and you are not alone so for once let someone else carry you."

Conan blushed slightly before relaxing a slight smile on his face.


	3. Day 2

Kaito was surprised when he open his eyes and saw the sleeping figure of the mini detective next to him.

_I guess it can't be helped, after all he is in the body of a child now and they're not exactly known for their stamina. _

Leaning over and gently placing a kiss on the young detective's head he couldn't help but smile to himself. Carefully getting out of bed he tucked the boy in and went to get something for breakfast. Stepping out of the apartment and locking the door Kaito quickly made his way to the convenience store. He purchased some eggs, bread and milk before returning home.

After popping his head into the bedroom to see if the not child was still sleeping, which he was, he set about getting breakfast ready and turned on the TV. A smile split his face as the news came on.

_Breaking news in the emerald theft by Kid._

_It has now been determined, thanks to an unknown source, that the emerald stolen by Kid from the local art museum last night was not in fact a gem but an actual person. Seven year old Edogawa Conan went missing on the night of Kid's heist and was thought to be just another kidnapping case, now authorities believe that he was taken by Kid. Though why Kid refers to the child as en emerald is still unknown it has redoubled search efforts by the local police and by the famous Detective Mouri Kogorou. Although progress is slow this reporter has been assured that they will find the child and bring him home safely._

Kaito heaved a sigh, "Fools, I told them I only wanted Mouri involved."

"You didn't expect them to listen did you?"

Kaito turned to see an exhausted looking Conan come into the room and climb up into a chair, "They don't take chances with the jewels you steal, what makes you think they are going to risk some private detective look for a kidnap victim by himself not to mention the fact that it was me you took and not just some random stranger." He yawned slightly and rubbed his eyes, "If it had been anyone else but you I think the entire state of Japan would be on their heels by now not to mention the FBI and the CIA."

Kaito laughed nervously and sweat dropped before turning back to his eggs, "I see you've made some friends in high places."

Conan just shrugged and continued watching the TV until his food was placed in front of him. He looked at it sleepily for a moment before picking up his fork and slowly started eating it.

Kaito watched the normally sharp detective eating lethargically and gave him an affectionate smile. It really was no surprise that the little detective was so tired. They had been at Tropical Land from 8 yesterday morning until it closed at 10 that night. He sweat dropped as he thought about how 'Kimi-chan' had suddenly got very into his part and had run around for hours making Kaito chase after him. When the park had finally closed they went to see the midnight showing of a movie they had both wanted to see, though Kaito had had to hide Conan under his shirt to get in since it was rated R.

By the time they had left the movie, again sneaking Conan out of the theater, the kid had been so exhausted that he had fallen asleep in Kaito's arms. Carrying him back to the apartment and changing him into a old pair of flannel pajamas that were slightly to big on him Kaito had carried the not child to the living room with the intention of placing him to sleep on the couch that night. As he was placing the small body on the couch, however the fear of leaving the detective alone just wouldn't seem to leave him. So, cursing himself, he had taken the boy back to his room.

"So what now Kid?"

Kaito pulled himself out of his thoughts and look at the still bleary faced seven year old. He smiled sweetly and put on a face of confusion, "Hmmm. About what?"

Conan gestured toward the direction of the TV. He was still so out of it though that he ended up swinging his arm a little too forcefully and almost fell off his chair. Luckily Kaito caught him before he could have a meeting with the floor and placed the slightly disgruntled detective on his knee.

"Wow Tantei-kun, you are not a mourning person are you?" Conan merely leaned forward and rested his head on the table. Kaito chuckled. Kudo Shinichi had always been a man of grace who was always cool under pressure and whose mind was always alert.

_Looking at him now though he looks every bit the child he is masquerading as._

Shaking his head slightly he placed his lips next to the not child's ear and said sternly, in Ran's voice, "Conan-kun it's time to get up now"

This had a mixed effect however, as the detective's head shot up so fast it collided with the thief chin. For a second neither could do anything but hold their respective injuries and mumble incoherently in pain.

"Stop doing that!" Shinichi snarled turning to glare at Kaito.

Kaito rubbed his chin and smirked sheepishly, "Well if you woke up like a normal person…" Shinichi just continued to glare and rubbed his eyes, "anyway finish your breakfast and clean up, I have to go somewhere today and I want to make sure your okay before I leave."

Conan looked up startled, now fully awake, "You're just gonna leave me here? Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

"If you really wanted to escape you would have tried long before this."

Kaito smiled down at the bewildered face of the not child. Suddenly his eyes seemed to shift into space and his smile turned sad, "I'm just going to see Aoko." The thief swallowed thickly, his eyes still avoiding the detective's.

For a moment he was lost in the memory. Tears filled his eyes as he saw once again as the girl he had grown up with, the girl he had come to love, had half her head blown off. He remembered being utterly paralyzed as her still warm blood splattered his face and her body dropped onto the pavement. He probably would have stayed there had the owner of the shop they had been walking next to had not grabbed him and pulled him inside just as a bullet buried itself into the wall directly were his head had been.

A slight tug on his pant leg brought him back to reality.

Looking down he could help but let out a wet laugh. Conan had gotten off his knee and had changed once again into the Kimi costume; although this time he was wearing a light blue blouse and tan pants. In his hand he had a contact case that held the lenses they had used yesterday to make the child's eyes green. Neither said anything as the older boy slipped off his chair and knelt down in front of the detective.

Taking the case from the smaller hand Kaito proceeded to gently cover the blue irises. Raising again Kaito quickly cleaned up the remains of their breakfast and, taking Conan's hand, left the apartment.

Walking down the street both boys were quiet. Each seemed to sense an unspoken pressure about them. Conan kept shooting glances at the thief. He had never seen the other so serious before. Not to mention that he hadn't pulled off even one magic trick yet. The not child ignored his curiosity though as he allowed himself to be pulled along.

They continued walking until they came to the bus terminal again. From there they got off just outside of the city and walked for about another fifteen minutes until they came to a cemetery. Picking their way carefully through the graves Kaito finally stopped at one in the far corner underneath a Sakura tree. Bright pink petals fell onto the name plate like a cotton candy snow storm. Kaito gently brushed them aside and knelt down in front of the stone.

"Hello Aoko," He whispered to it quietly, "I'm sorry I haven't been here recently." His eyes fell on the dead flowers sitting in the holder under Aoko's name, "It's been really hard for me lately, but I wanted you to know that I'm doing better. Tantei-kun has really helped me a lot and I think I'll be okay soon."

Reaching forward Kaito began pulling the dead stems out of the holder and arrange them in his hand, "I'm not sure the two of you have met yet, but, Aoko, this is Tantei-kun," he looked at the, to this point, silent child next to him, "Tantei-kun this is Nakamori Aoko."

Conan's eyes widened, "Nakamori?"

Kaito nodded sadly, "Daughter of our own Nakamori-san."

He continued arranging the stems.

"Do you remember the time I didn't show up for my heist?"

Conan nodded, how could he not remember, Kid's failure to appear had been the topic of conversation for almost three months afterward. For all intense and purposes the thief had fallen off the face of the planet. Not a single word was heard from him during those three months and Shinichi had feared that the Black Organization had finally gotten to him. Kaito seemed to read his thoughts.

"They did come after me, in fact they tried to shoot me many times as Kid, but this time they came after me as Kaito."

Kaito waved his hand over the stems in the others and Conan thought he saw a little green return to them.

"I don't know how they knew who I was, but on the morning of my heist Aoko and I were walking home from school together when she was shot. She had moved out in front of me so she could lecture me on how Kid was just a thief and how her dad would catch him. I stopped walking and she leaned her face forward to make sure I was listening when the bullet tore through her head."

Continuing to wave his hand over the stems the brown spots seemed to disappear.

Shinichi stared silently at the other boy. He couldn't imagine something like that happening to Ran. If it did he didn't know if he'd be able to live on. Knowing that it had been him that they were after, that she died because of him. It would kill him.

Kaito continued, "Aoko and I grew up together, we were the best of friends so to suddenly not have her in my life was devastating. I have a vague memory of Hakuba and my mother trying to comfort me, but I really don't know what happened during those three months."

"How did you come back?" Conan asked tentatively.

Flower began to bloom on the stems.

"You were attacked."

Roses opened their blood red petals and baby's breath added their snowy drops.

"I knew then that I had to do something. I couldn't allow myself to wallow in sorrow while there were others out there that still needed my help. I did what I could for you on the sidelines and, after I made sure you were safe, redoubled my efforts to find Pandora."

Conan swallowed thickly. He had been so busy running away from the shooter that he had never noticed Kid was at his side nor had he questioned Kid's absence and subsequent return. He had heard about Pandora from Haibara and had figure out pretty quickly form there that that was what Kid was after.

Kaito could see the detective deflate a little out of the corner of his eyes and gave him a small smile and proceeded to place the newly resurrected flowers into the holder, "Don't be so sad Tantei-kun. I have made peace with the fact that Aoko's death was my fault and I am happy to have been able to help you," He shrugged and stood up, "Besides, if I had allowed you or myself to be killed by them she would probably come down here with a mop and kick my butt."

He chuckled, "I can hear her now," his voice took on a high, slightly shrill tone, "BAKA KAITO! How could you just sit here and not do anything while others are in danger? Are you going to avenge me or not?"

Kaito smiled happily at the memory before turning to Conan, "Well I think it's time to get some lunch don't you think?"

Shinichi nodded dumbly and walked beside Kaito out of the cemetery completely oblivious to the fact that they were being followed.

"How do you do that?"

Kaito looked up from his ice cream to see the little detective looking at him questioningly. They had stopped for lunch in Tokyo a couple hours ago and were now sitting at the table in his kitchen. Neither had said anything since they got back so the sudden question startled Kaito.

"How do I do what?"

Conan blushed violently, this had not been what he had wanted to say, but he couldn't back down now so he swallowed and pushed on, "How do you change your voice to mimic not only the tone, but the mannerisms of another person so perfectly?"

Kaito blinked before chuckling slightly, "It's all about the pitch Tantei-kun. It's kinda like singing." Leaning forward –well into the mini detective's private space- he looked the detective in the eye for a few seconds before placing a kiss on his forehead, "I have no doubt that you would do the same thing I did, but I appreciate your support."

Conan's face lit up like Christmas tree and he quickly averted his eyes.

Kaito watched the flustered little boy dig into his ice cream with a new determination. He sighed to himself. Tomorrow was the last day he and the detective would be together as friends. After that they would go back to their rivalry game of cat and mouse. He couldn't help but feel a little sad at the loss, but at the same time he was happy. Happy that he and the detective had reached an understanding, that he was able to get through to the stubborn boy. Though he had no delusions that the detective would heed his warning but, hey, he could hope.

At least he had made him aware that he was no longer alone.

Tomorrow he would have to make sure everything was prepared for the return of the child. He had already figured out the basics of where and when, but he still had to figure out a way in without alerting suspicion. He would also have to make sure that Shinichi wasn't accidentally hurt in the process and that his escape way would be clear.

He sighed again.

"You know it you keep doing that you're going to make yourself light headed."

Kaito blinked out of his thoughts and grinned broadly, a sudden manic glint in his eye.

"Say Tantei-kun how do you feel about becoming a thief?"


	4. Day 3

Conan woke with a start acutely aware that he was completely alone in the bed.

To his utter embarrassment Kid had insisted that they sleep together again and had purposely tangled his little limbs in the blankets so that he wouldn't escape. He had tried to reason that the only reason he had slept with the Kid before was because, one, the theif had been upset and needed someone, and two, he had been too exhausted to fully understand where he was.

That hadn't stopped the thief though as he had used Shinichi's "condition" against him to not only bully the child into his bed but to also force him into this ridiculous plan. Not that his plan wasn't ingenious, if anything Kid had managed to find the only way to finish what he started without causing anymore problems. Even he had to admit that sometimes Kid truly impressed him. Just because he was impressed with the plan though didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

"Tantei-kun are you awake? I need you in here!" Kaito shouted from down the hall. Shinichi rolled his eyes and hopped out of bed. Walking into the living room he saw Kaito kneeling over a box.

"I take it that means that you also already posted the notice?"

Kaito looked up and smiled and tossed a newspaper at him, "I sent it in last night."

Conan looked down at the paper and rolled his eyes, "Of course you did." He sighed and walked up to the other boy, "Anyway what is it you wanted?"

"I need you to try this on for size." Turning back to the box Kaito pulled something out of it and held it up for the detective to see.

Shinichi stared at the thing Kaito had in his hand, "Do we really need to do it this way? Why can't we just say I escaped?"

Kaito pouted, "Awww come on, stop being a party pooper this is going to be so much fun." A huge grin spread over his face and he leaned in close to the detective, "Besides this is like everyone's get out of jail free card."

"Everyone except the old man you mean."

Kaito shrugged as if to say it wasn't his problem and thrust the thing in his hand at Conan, "Go get changed we have a lot of details to go over." Resigning himself to the inevitable Shinichi threw the newspaper on the couch and went into the bathroom to change.

A few minutes later he came out and rejoined Kaito in the living room. Upon seeing the child walk into the room Kaito couldn't help but smile broadly and he gestured toward the couch. It was time to get down to business.

The clock chimed 9 O'clock and the sun had just dipped behind the horizon. Kaito peaked from behind the curtain to look at the audience. Tantei-kun had been right about his friends in high placed being there - every exit was covered with at least two police men, - but the thief wasn't worried, as long as both of them stuck to the plan then everything would be just fine.

He had dropped the detective off a few minutes before, gotten changed into his janitorial outfit and had snuck- with only a slight amount of difficulty- behind the curtain that blocked his target from sight. Now he had changed into his white suit and was waiting for the curtain to rise on the jewel, all the child had to do was wait for his signal. At the last stroke of the clock there was a sudden hush as the crowd fell silent and the lights dimmed and the thief jumped up on the pedestal that held the emerald.

Earlier that day Kid had posted a note in the paper announcing that he intended to return what he had stolen, but only if the condition were the same as the day it had been stolen. Given the fact that the emerald in the case was the exact one he was supposed to have stolen he figured they listened.

Audible gasps and screams and curses, the latter mostly being from Nakamori, filled the audience as the curtain slowly rose.

_Shinichi did his job_ he thought as a spot light came on and landed on him. Plastering a grin on his face he waved happily at the stunned crowd and the infuriated Inspector.

"Why hello my dear inspector," he sing songed, "I suppose you know why we are here today."

"KID! GIVE THE BOY BACK!" Nakamori all but bellowed

Confusion passed over the thief's face, "Boy?"

"Don't play dumb with me Kid! I know you took the Edogawa kid!"

The smile dropped off of the thief's face, "I can assure you inspector that I have never kidnapped anyone in my life, let alone a child."

His voice was so stern that a flash of doubt crossed over the inspector's face, "But…but…Mouri said that…"

Kid barked out a laugh, "I suppose the "Famous Detective" also said that I had wanted to take out the competition and that by taking the child I was going to use it against him to try and put him out of business." Every head turned to look at Mouri who was by now so scarlet he almost appeared to by emitting his own light. Kid continued "You know me better than anyone Nakamori, I have always did my best to make sure no one has ever gotten hurt do you really think I would put a child in the face of danger let alone one I respect as my rival?"

Nakamori was at a loss for words and a look akin to shame crossed his face.

Kid stood up on the pedestal and gracefully hopped off and walked right up to the inspector to stand in his face, "That," he jabbed over his shoulder with his thumb, "is the only reason I came then and it is the only reason I'm here now." Before the inspector could say anything Kid turned away and began walking toward the front door.

A sharp chorus of heels on the floor sounded behind him and all at once someone had gripped his arm. Looking down Kaito felt his heart squeeze tight. Ran Mouri had her face buried into the white material of his sleeve, her fingers digging as desperately as if she were falling off a cliff and he were her only anchor from the drop. Even though he couldn't see it Kaito knew she had tears in her eyes as her body shook slightly with silent sobs.

"Please."

A piece of Kid's heart broke at the barely audible word _now I know how Tantei-kun must feel every time a murderer takes a loved one and only the grievers are left_ he swallowed thickly, this hadn't been part of the plan.

"Please," the voice whispered again, "Give Shinichi back to me."

Kid did a double take and the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, "You know about him!"

Ran nodded mutely and gripped Kaito's arm tighter. Kid was struck dumb for a minute and his eyes flickered to the spot on the balcony were he knew said child was hiding. Blue eyes met with blue in a spark of decision as the boy shot off. Lowering his voice to a near inaudible whisper Kaito leaned close to Ran.

"I can get him back for you, but you'll have to go along with it. I need you to buy us a few minutes."

Ran raised her head to look at the thief. Her eyes searched his for a moment then she slowly stood up straight and let go of his arm. Backing away a little she dropped her head. Taking that as a yes Kaito made his way to the pedestal again and stood in front of it.

"Suppose that just because a thief happens to be here when something other than his target goes missing it is only logical to assume that the thief has taken that as well, but I can assure you Ran-chan that I did not take your Tantei-kun nor do I know where he is."

Ran turned to face Kid with new tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry for assuming Kid-san, but if there is any way you could bring him back to me…."

Kid could feel the tension in the room at the open ended question and he looked back at the inspector. He could see that the importance of finding the kid was wearing off fast and was quickly being replaced with the usual desire to catch Kid. A blaze of annoyance showed in Kaito's eyes for the briefest of moments but was soon pushed back and covered with his usual poker face. There was a slight tug on his pants from behind him and he shot a look at Ran. She looked back at him through her lashes eyes wide with surprise. She had seen him too.

Kid sighed audibly, "Well, I suppose if you can't find your Tantei-kun then I guess we'll just have to use me instead."

Ran's head shot up and an excited babble shot thorough the crowd (along with some squealing from Kid's many fans). Kid held up his hands for silence.

"I simply mean that if you touch me and focus your love on the missing Tantei-kun then he will appear in my place."

"You can do that?" Ran's voice held disbelief, but also hope.

Kid smiled and suppressed a laugh, he could literally _feel_ Shinichi rolling his eyes at him, "Of course I can, I am a magician after all, it is my job to do the impossible. Now my dear if you will just stand in front of me."

Ran all but ran to stand in front of the Kid. Glancing down and following the direction Kid indicated with his fingers her body was soon blocking him from view of the crowd and the inspector. Taking her hands and placing them gently on his shoulders Kaito moved back just enough to allow Shinichi into the space between them. To Ran's credit she didn't make any noise when she saw the mini detective even though she must have felt like bursting into tears right then and there.

Shinichi smiled up at her and Kaito continued to back away until his back was pressed directly into the pedestal behind him.

"Okay Ran-chan now concentrates on the boy. Close your eyes and imagine it is his shoulders you are touching."

Ran pretended to close her eyes and watched as Conan slipped a hand inside his pocket before turning her attention back to Kid and mouthing two words. _Thank you_.

Kid inclined his head a fraction of an inch, "On the count of three….one….two….."

Just before he hit three Conan pushed the button in his pocket. Darkness descended for the briefest of seconds allowing Kid to slip his black cloak on and slip into the shadows casted by the spot light. As he past Ran he gently pushed on her shoulder as a sign to tell her to kneel down. She complied at once and placed her hands on the now smaller shoulders.

A collective gasp came from behind Ran for in the moment of darkness the crowd had only seen Ran kneel down and still had no idea what had taken place. For a second Ran didn't say anything and for a moment Kid –from his vantage point in the shadows of the doorway- thought that she was frozen in place. Then tears began to leak out of her eyes again and she lunged at the boy on the floor and pulled him into her chest.

Slipping out the door and smiling to himself Kaito stayed just long enough to hear the clears and excited shouts for the boy's return before slipping off into the night.

It took Shinichi a good fifteen minutes before he was able he hear correctly again.

After Ran's near bone crushing hug and many whispers threats that if he ever worried her like that again she would kill him, she had scooped the mini detective up and turned around for everyone to see.

To say that the reaction had been loud would have been a major understatement. In fact Shinichi was almost positive that if the windows of the museum had not been made of bullet proof glass then they would have shattered.

Upon seeing the child safely in the arms of his guardian reporters, cops friends and Kid fans descended on Conan like flies to a dead body. Questions were shot at him from every which way till it seemed to Shinichi that his head would explode from the sheer amount of noise. A camera man suddenly snapped a picture so close to his face he could actually feel the burn of the flash all the way through his retinas, this was only made worse by the magnification of the light through the glass over his eyes. Out of instinct he buried his face in Ran's chest.

To anyone else this would have been a simple child trying to hide his face from people after a horrific ordeal.

For Ran it was the boy she loved putting his face on her breasts in public.

Shinichi felt her stiffen considerably and too late did he realize what he had done. Pulling away quickly he tried to explain to her that he hadn't been doing what she thought he had been doing, but he could tell it was too late to do anything. Through the spottiness of his vision Shinichi could see that she had made up her mind and once she did that not a force on earth could stop her until she had calmed down.

"ENOUGH!" Ran bellowed into the crowd that was still surrounding them. A shocked silence settled over the crowd and many of them back away from the suddenly irate girl. Said girl plastered a tense smile over her lips, "Conan has been through a lot today and I think it is time to get him home."

Everyone nodded and quickly parted so as to make room for Ran and Conan to get through. Ran practically shot through the door and down the road before ungracefully dropping her tiny friend on the ground.

Shinichi landed squarely on his butt in the middle of the side walk. Immediately scrambling up he ran after his childhood friend and tried to explain what had happened, "Ran I'm sorry but it wasn't what you thought I promise. I would never….You know I'd never….It was the flash and the magnification and you were right there."

"So I'm just something to hide behind am I?"

Shinichi could practically see steam coming out of her nose, "No…no….Ran please it's not like that."

Poor Shinichi was so flustered that he didn't notice that they had reached Ran's place until they were in her room and she had shut and locked the door behind him.

_Oh shit_ he thought frantically_ NOW I'm in for it_

He tensed as she came over to him. What was she going to do? Knowing Ran she would probably do one of her famous round-house kicks and split him in two like a piece of plywood. He watched as she knelt in front of him and raised her hand. So she was going to slap him? It was a little better than being kicked, but coming from Ran, not by much. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

It never came.

Instead he felt his glasses being removed and then a soft thunk as they were dropped onto the floor.

Then he felt the kiss.

Soft hands cupped his cheeks as a feather like kiss was planted first on the forehead then on his eyes and then on both cheeks. Once again he felt himself pulled into a hug.

"I thought," Ran said softly into Shinichi's hair, "I thought I had lost you again. I couldn't do that again, not after I had found you. Not again." Her voice faded into a whisper as tears choked her.

Shinichi stood there for a moment not knowing what to do. Finally he reached up and gently hugged her back, "Baka Ran, don't you know that I would never leave you." Pulling back from her he placed a kiss of his own on her cheek.

She blushed slightly, "But when Kid took you I thought…."

Shinichi placed a finger over her lips, "Do you really think he would have hurt me? We're talking about a guy who would put himself in the line of fire to save a dog, he would never let someone as important to him as me get hurt. Yes he did kidnap me but he kept me safe and made sure I was taken care of."

Ran's eyes had widened a bit, "How do you know you're important to him?"

Shinichi smiled a sad kind of reminiscing smile, "We had a bit of a talk. Look I promise I will explain it to you, but first I need your help."

"My help?"

Shinichi nodded, "Kid explained a few things to me as a kind of apology for kidnapping me and he asked me to do something for him, but I'm going to need your help with the first part."

Ran searched Shinichi's child like face for a moment as though trying to ascertain whether or not this was some kind of joke. After a moment though she nodded.

"Okay now you have to promise me not to freak out or tell anyone about this." Again Ran nodded.

Shinichi let out the breath he had been holding and reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a beautiful green stone.

Ran's eyes got so big the iris almost disappeared, "Shinichi is that…?"

"This is the real one that Kid stole when he took me three days ago. He said that he only took one emerald that night but instead he took two and everybody was so busy focusing on my kidnapping that they didn't take a closer look at the jewel in the case. If they had they would have realized it was a masterfully created fake." Ran nodded her understanding although she looked a little bemused, "Anyway with all the police around Kid couldn't get both me and the jewel back, it would have taken too much time, so he came up with the plan that _I_ would be the one to return the real jewel before anyone realizes the one in the case - that he was supposed to have returned- is a fake."

Ran simply starred at him for a moment and Shinichi was afraid that she would refuse.

"So what happens if they find out the jewel in the case is a fake?"

"They will probably think that Kid used me as a distraction to get the real emerald."

"And that's a bad thing?"

Shinichi nodded, "Look Ran I know this isn't like me, but I learned a few things while I was with Kid and if they think he kidnapped me it will make it a lot harder for me to do what he asked." He could see the skepticism on her face, "Please Ran! If I can help him it could help me put away some very dangerous people, and it could help me get my old body back."

At this last part Ran's eyes turned sharp and Shinichi bit his lip in anticipation. Finally, after what seemed like forever, her face softened a little although it was still firm.

"Just tell me what you need to do."


	5. My Dove

Kaito was watching the news intensely again.

It had been six weeks since he had returned Shinichi to his life as Conan and he hadn't heard anything from him since. At least not directly. For the first four weeks he had heard about a young boy running around disguised as the Phantom Thief stirring up all kinds of trouble with the police. This had not been a cause for concern as it had been Kaito himself who has asked the detective to do that for him.

Sometime before his little adventure with Conan he had finally found a clue about Pandora. Since he didn't want any unnecessary forces he needed the police off of his back for a little while, so he had asked the detective to pose as an overzealous Kid fan who took it his devotion a little too far. It took some poking and prodding, but the detective had finally agreed to help him. So it was not surprising that only a few days later the little thief popped up. It was also not surprising to Kaito that Shinichi was as good a thief as he was a detective, since the two of them had about the same IQ and in some ways were basically the same person.

What was surprising however –truth be told more like terrifying- was the sudden disappearance of the little Phantom Thief.

That had been two weeks ago and ever since Kaito had sat religiously in front of the news to see if anything popped back up. When he wasn't scouring the city as Kid that is.

His heart clenched violently as once again the report relayed the mysterious disappearance of the child thief whom the reports had christened "Little Kid."

Kaito turned off the TV and threw the remote on the counter in frustration. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. Kaito shook his head and went out to the living room. He had never felt that he had ever been punished for being a thief, but now he couldn't help but wondering if he had gone a little too far and encored the wrath of some unknown entity.

He had had some luck in locating where Pandora had been hidden, but with the vanishing off the mini detective the gem had somehow fallen off the radar and now for the life of him he could not find it. He sighed angrily as he slumped onto the couch. If only his father could see him now.

The ringing of the doorbell pulled Kaito out of his depressed stupor.

He was tempted to ignore whoever it was, but apparently whoever it was wouldn't have it as the bell rung twice more. Kaito grumbled slightly to himself as he stood up and crossed over to the door and wrenched it open.

He froze.

The boy on the other side of the door giggled, "You needn't look so surprised Kid," Without waiting to be invited in the boy pushed his way passed a still stunned Kaito and, after taking off his shoes, made his way into the kitchen, "Well are you going to stand there all day or are you going to offer me a drink?"

Kaito, still in a slight daze, closed the door and follow the intruder into the kitchen. For a second all he could do was stare at the other person open-mouthed. The boy just stood there leaning on the counter with a smug look on his face.

"You know I think this is the first time I've seen the great Kaitou Kid at a loss for words."

Kaito swallowed thickly, walked up to the other boy and did the only thing he could think of to do.

He slapped him.

Then he threw his arms around the boy's neck and pulled him into a hug.

"You scared the shit out of me Kudo Shinichi." He snapped into the boy's ear.

He felt the detective's body tremble with suppressed laughter as the boy's arms wrapped around him in a return hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes (if asked about it later Kaito would vehemently deny he had used those few minutes to dry his eyes on Shinichi's shoulder) before they pulled away from each other.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kaito snapped again as he regained his composure.

Shinichi smiled what could only be described as a Kid grin and sat down in a chair at the table, "Get me a drink and I'll tell you all about it."

And so, after pouring himself and Shinichi a glass of water, Kaito sat down and listened to what had happened.

Needless to say Kaito almost fell out of his chair with laughter when Shinichi told him about his Ran escapade, but he was soon quiet again as the detective continued.

"Needless to say that for this too work Ran and I had to return to the museum, although swapping the emeralds out was not as difficult as I thought." He added as an afterthought, "And I'm nowhere near as good at picking locks as you."

Kaito smiled with pride at not just the compliment.

Shinichi rolled his eyes and thwaped Kaito on the back of the head, "Stop acting like a giddy school girl and pay attention.

"Anyway, after we put the emerald back I did what you asked and ran around as your protégé, and don't for a minute think that I enjoyed any of it." He bristled a little as the thief's eyes twinkled at the mention of Shinichi's less then legal exploits, "As "Little Kid" I was able to find out a few things of my own about Pandora. However before I could explore the gem for myself I ran into the little problem of a certain long haired assassin who seemed to think that you wronged him in some way and didn't take to kindly to my idolization of you.

"I'm sure you remember the Hyacinth Ruby," Shinichi waited for Kid to nod his head before continuing, "Well I had just managed, with Ran's help, to sneak it out of its hiding place and slip out the back entrance when this man comes out of nowhere and kicks me as hard as he can in the stomach sending me crashing into the dumpster. I was dressed as Conan at the time so at first I thought it was just some common criminal, maybe a drug dealer or something that I had interrupted. Needless to say that in my small body the blow came with some consequences of about two fractured ribs and some severely bruised organs, which, on top of not being able to breathe for a few minutes, rendered my incapacitated. I was in no position to defend myself so I figured this man would do one of two things: either he was going to kill me or he was going to use this time to run away.

"He ended up doing neither. Instead he picked me up by my shirt front and started yelling at me. Apparently he had been watching the coverage of the Little Kid heists on the news and recognized me as the kid who was always chasing after you. He seemed to notice the way you and I held an almost admiring respect for one another and he was convinced that I was hiding you while at the same time taking on the role of "thief" myself while pretending to be a detective. In his words 'no mere eight year old could know the things you know without some prior knowledge.'

I tried to tell him that our rivalry was just me getting lucky sometime but he wouldn't hear of it and even went so far as to pull a gun on me and demand that I tell him where you were."

Here Shinichi stopped to take a drink of water. Kaito was on the edge of his seat, both from the excitement of the story and the rage that someone had the audacity to pull a gun on his Tantei-kun. He swallowed tightly and waited for Shinichi to finish his drink and continue with his story.

"I tried once again to reason with him but he slammed me up against the wall and stuck the barrel of his gun between my eyes. I could see that there was no convincing this man so I did the only thing I could and shot him with my tranquilizer watch and went to meet Ran at our agreed spot."

"Wait," Kaito held up his hand to stop the detective, "You're telling me you just left him there? Didn't you tell the police?"

"Once I had returned as Conan I did. It turns out that I did interrupt a drug deal of his and he used that opportunity to try and get information about you out of me. He's the father of one of your fans by the way; it seems she was so obsessed with you that she decided to be a thief herself."

Kaito cringed at this. He remembered hearing on the news about a local high school who wanted to be with Kid so much that she actually went out and committed a robbery to try and get his attention. Kaito had gone himself to the girl's house and asked her to never do that again, that it was not worth such a beautiful girl ruining her life over him. It didn't work. In fact Kid's visit seemed to reinforce the girl's belief that if she continued with her robberies then the phantom thief would come to see her, even if it was only to scold her.

Last he had heard of her she was in prison doing five years for armed robbery.

"So you do remember her." It wasn't a question

Kaito nodded sadly, "I tried to stop her." He grabbed his water and downed it before getting up to refill both their glasses.

Shinichi was silent for a minute. Then he continued, "Anyway, like I said, the kick to my body had left me with some injuries that I was barely able to hide."

"You didn't go to the hospital?"

"No but I had Haibara look at them and she said they would be okay if I got some rest and made sure they were healed before I took her antidote."

Kaito was sitting back at the table by now and nearly choked on his water.

Shinichi thumped him on the back until his lungs were clear again. "She was still making the antidote until about a week ago," he clarified, "I only took it about three days ago. I wanted to take it sooner, but she said she had to make absolutely sure that my body could handle it."

Kaito's surprise quickly turned to anger. Shinichi had been Shinichi for three days and he hadn't told him? Did the detective even realize how much the thief had worried about him? Did he not make it clear to Conan that the boy was precious to him and that he would have gone crazy if anything had happened to him? He was sure he had made this perfectly clear, and yet here the detective sat almost without a care in the world completely oblivious to Kaito's not so Kid like rage.

Shinichi did seem to notice though as he quickly put his hands up in surrender, "I know, I know I should have gotten in touch with you or solved a case as myself or something, but on the day I took the antidote I had a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people. That and I found something very important to you."

Kaito's anger morphed into curiosity as Shinichi reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an oval shaped package. Placing it on the table and pushing it toward the other boy, Shinichi leaned back in his chair and waited. Kaito shot a confused glance at the detective before picking up and parcel and gently turning it over in his hands. It was covered with regular tissue paper so Kaito began tearing it off layer by layer. When he got to the last layer he looked up at Shinichi again before peeling it back. His heart all but stopped in his chest as he looked at the object in his palm. Even though he had guessed what was in the package, he was still apprehensive as to whether or not it could be real.

But there was no mistaking Pandora for anything else.

It sat comfortably in Kaito's hand as though it had been fitted just for him. Its surface glistened and gleamed as the light bounced off of the many divots and plateaus that patterned it. Unlike most diamonds, Pandora had not been cut but instead left to grow and mould on its own. As a result it held and almost mysterious, earthy quality about it that made one immediately stop and stare. Almost tentatively Kaito held the gem up to the light. There, just visible under the opaque exterior, was a circular outline of something inside the diamond.

Kaito swallowed thickly, "Where…?"

"In an antique shop in Osaka." Kaito's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "Luckily the owner knew nothing about precious gems and thought it was just a nice looking piece of glass," Shinichi took a sip of water, "he was going to make a paper weight out of it."

Kaito stared for a moment at first the detective's face, then Pandora. Then he burst out laughing.

Shinichi subconsciously relaxed. The only thing he knew of Kuroba Kaito was of his role as Kaitou Kid and how he had wanted to protect Conan from harm. After so many tears and emotional confessions it was nice to see the other boy truly happy –and not in that obnoxious Kid way. So Shinichi let Kaito laugh, and he may have chuckled a little himself, before bring the conversation back down to earth.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

Kaito chuckled a little more before wiping his eyes and turning to Shinihci, "Like I told you before Tantei-kun, I'm going to finish what my father started and destroy it."

Shinichi nodded at his almost twin, "And Kaitou Kid?"

A sort of melancholy look came over Kaito's face this time, "I guess it is time to say goodbye to him." He turned his face away from the detective, not wanting to see his rival's face, "Now that I have Pandora there is no need for Kid anymore so…"

"Don't be stupid!" Kaito's eyes shot up at Shinichi's angered tone.

It was the detective's turn to look away but not before Kaito noticed the slight blush on his face, "You may not be looking for Pandora anymore, but you're still a thief and it is my job to catch you, or does our was everything you said those three days a lie?"

Kaito blinked at Shinichi almost not daring to believe it, "What are you suggesting?"

Shinichi shrugged and looked Kaito straight in the eye and for a second the thief could have sworn he saw an almost mischievous glint in his rival's eye, "I'm not suggesting anything Kid, but if you do happen to continue….Well then, it would be a shame to not keep them family tradition wouldn't it."

For a second Kaito didn't say anything. Then for the first time in weeks he smirked a true Kaito smirk.

"Question mark?"

"Explanation point!"


End file.
